Shoulder support for brassieres



Oct. 9,1945. 7 E. JOHANSYON I 2,386,557

SHOULDER SUPPORT FOR BRASSIERES Filed Jan. 11, 1945 INYENTOR [01A JOHA NSO/V ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 9, 1945 UN1.'I.'E.D..v PATENT:

" ii/ sm 1 V snonmsa sssrom FORBRASSIERES Edla Joharison, .white -Plains, -N-.Y. Application gala 11, 1945;"Seri'al'Noi572,292 amass; (o1.2.- -42) 1 s This"invention is "atshoulder support 'for'bra'ssieres. conventionally" made", brassier'es are provided with shoulderistraps, ordinarily; in "the formiof relativelyznarrow ribbons whiclfaie se cured to the frontand back'ofthergarmentfandT pass over'the shoulders ofth'e wearer. 'I'hese shoulder strapsfmust hold the garment from shifting downwardlyand at thesam'e timesup: port the weight of the breasts fwhich; accofrdingfi to the present vogue, should be sustained'ini. an" uplifted"position to impart a youthfuljifull;

roundedfigure." I I Slender women" or'those with irelatively small? breasts experience no difliculty with brassieres of conventional design but those women who""l5. have'fheavybreastsor tend to be fleshy findfmuch discomfort: in "theuse ofbrassieres with conven tional ribbon-shoulder str'aps'ffor the weight im' posed"uporrthesestrapsissuch:as*;tocauseithem" to cut-into the shoulderso' severely 3S" t0" cause considerable discomfort and-"even" pain. f i

' I am of* course *aware that 'bust supporters; brassieres and the like have been [heretofore made: with relatively wideslrioulder str'aps usuah I eunmm the sameniaterial' as the-irest ofthe'fz s,

garmentl Garmentser-thattypeare-ex mp m d by United stat'es Patent- N6:' 644j606} issued to*- Laura H," J ohnsons Such 'a garment maybe-worn withcomfort insofar as thei-support of the weight is; concerned; but the: modem woman will not" E wear aebrassireot this kind because of* the -un#"* sightlyzappearance of the-shoulder: pieces; par ticularly when; worn beneath sheer gowns;

With the foregoing considerations in mind; the object;ofnthe present invention is to provide a shoulder support for brassieres which will have all the appearance of the conventional support, but) which will obviate the aforesaid discomfort and pain inherent therein.

Speaking generally, the present invention con- 40 sists in incorporating within each shoulder strap of a brassire an element which, for the want of a better name, I shall hereinafter term a sad-. dle. This saddle is in the form of a substantially diamond shaped piece of material adapted to rest on the shoulder of the wearer with its longitudinal axis extending over the shoulder and its transverse axis, at the point of its greatest Width, positioned so as to rest between the trapezius and the joint formed by the clavicle and the humerus and overlie the trapezius at the back of the shoulder of the wearer. Byso positioning the saddle, it is retained in position against slipping either upwardly or downwardly on the shoulder and is capable of aifording the maximum distribution of the weight imposed thereon. Ribbons, tapes I or ithe like, with or without adjustment"devicesfl are secured 'to the opposite ends of thelsaddl i, in any appropriate manner andfextendTdoWn wardly'there'fror'nfto and are secumy attached at the front-Landback' ofQthe' brassire proper."

The lateraliedges of'the saddleare preferably of I concave form, so,-that--' the outlines thereof: merge into the ribbons or tapes along symmetri calline's, Oneadvantage :ofso shaping thesad dle and associating it with -the-stapesasstated, is that theipresence. thereon; evenbeneatlra sheer garment, is not noticeable, lparticularly if the saddle is tinted to conform, with the I tapeslortto the-underlying flesh of the Wearen.

The saddle of this invention may be made from various materials and may. be either of singlelor.

,multiplezplyl- In the preferredform-of the in;

vention, it; is madefrom a plastic materialpsuch-v as.,IIucite,- or alike plastic which has the propr ertyof being. relatively flexible" in a: directionlongitudinally of the saddle, but. sufficiently rigid in a direction transversely thereof as to preventthe formationyof folds, gathers;- or shirrs therein,

particularly when: the; saddle is, longitudinally;-

bent over the shoulder of the' wearer; A; widevariety; of plastics are: embracedwithim thesere-'- quirements and, as-stated, theymaybetintedior.

,coloredas-desired 7 Instead of: using, plastics-,- -however-, iIrmay ,em-' ploy fabricsssuch e. g.-, ;as -plush which, ifmsed; should" have: a" relatively 4 firm body; and preferably has suffic-ient:=nap to cushion the saddleagainst the: flesh of the wearer: If s a 'ifabric. is: used, it may be backed up with a reinforcing material, but in any event it should have sufficient body to preclude the puckering or gathering thereof to which I have referred, when worn for, if this shirring or gathering occurs, it will defeat the purpose of the invention because it will localize the weight, in contradistinction to distributing the same.

Features of the invention, other than those advertedto, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the appended drawing.

The drawing illustrates one practical'embodiment of the invention, but the construction shown therein is to be understood as illustrative, gnly, and not as defining the limits of the invenion.

Figure 1 is a view illustrating a brassiere embodying the present invention in place on a wearer.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the gar ment removed.

Figure 3 shows the preferred form of saddle of this invention with attached ribbons or tapes.

Figure 4 is an enlarged view showing the saddle with associated tapes attached to front and back portions of the brassire.

Referring to the drawing, I designates the body of the brassire which may be conventional and which is adapted to encircle the body in the usual manner, being secured at the back of the wearer in any appropriate Way.

2 designates the saddles which are incorporated in the two shoulder tapes. In the drawing, these saddles are illustrated as they would appear if made of plastic material, such as Lucite. -As shown each saddle is generallyof diamond shape and is provided at its opposite ends with slots or openings 3 through which are passed tapes 4 and 5, shown in, Figure 4 as attached to the front and back of the brassire body I. If the saddle were of fabric, these slots 3 would ordinarily be madelike buttonholes, although in lieu of such slots or buttonholes, other securing means for the tapes may be provided or the tapes may be simply sewed to the opposite ends of the saddle. It will be noted that the widest part of the saddle is midway of its length and that the lateral edges of the saddle extend therefrom along concave lines to substantially merge into the lateral edges of the tapes 4 and 5.

From Figure 1 it will be apparent that the saddle is worn with the widest part thereof at the apex of the shoulder with the tapering portions thereof extending to the front edge thereof and merging into the tapes as stated, so asto minimize the appearance of bulk and at the same time furnish adequate support. If the saddle is formed from 'a plastic its lateral edges may be tapered so as to be relatively thin, although no part of the saddle need be thick, but itmust of course be sufiiciently strong for the purposes stated.

Experience has shown that a shoulder support constructed asdescribed may be worn not only withabsolute comfort, but'its presence is not noticeable Moreover, it is not bulky and will not tend to destroy the shoulder linesofsheer garments worn thereover. It is economical to manufacture and -is a complete answer to the problems tolwhich I have hereinbefore-referred.

This invention should-not be confused with the expedientsheretofore suggested for use in connection with golf bags with the carrying straps of which have sometimes been associated wide leather pads, through which are passed the carrying straps of the bag. While such an arrangement may be all right for golf bags, it would be wholly impractical for association with a brassire and this is evidenced by the fact that although these golf bag accessories have been known for years, women have continued to suffer the discomfiture which the present invention overcomes.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but

the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thusfully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A shoulder support for brassieres comprising a' saddle having a solid, unbroken, substantially diamond shaped body to overlie the shoulder of the wearer and contact. therewith throughout substantially its entire area, With its transverse axis at the apex of the shoulder and the longitudinal axis conforming tov the front-to-back curvature of the shoulder, whereby weight imposed on said saddle is distributed throughout the? entire diamond shaped area thereof, and tapes secured at the opposite ends of the said diamond shaped body to extend and be secured to the front and back portions of the brassiere, said body being of sufficient transverse stifiness to preclude gathering or folding thereof when subjected to weight imposed thereon by theb'rassire. l v

2. ,A'shoulder support forbrassires comprising a saddle having a solid, unbroken, substantially diamond shaped body to overlie theshouldertof the wearerland contact therewith'through out. substantiallyv its entire area, with its transverse axis at .tlieapex of the shoulder and the longitudinal axis conforming to the front-to-back curvature of the shoulder, whereby weight imposed on said saddle is distributed throughout the entire diamond shaped area thereof, and tapes secured at theopposite ends of the said diamond shaped bodytoextend and be secured to the front --and back. portions of the brassire, said body being ofsuflicient transverse stillness to preclude gathering or folding thereof when subjected to weight imposed thereon by thevbrassire, and the lateral edges 'of said body being concave to substantially merge into the lateral'edges of said tapes;

Y e EDLA JOI-IANSON; 

